common thread

It seems to me that good singing technique all boils down to awareness of how sound is created and how it is sensed in the body. More specifically—to understanding the relationship between engagement and release.

Where/when does a consonant release into a vowel? (In the syllable “la” for instance, are you aware of precisely the second that the “l” becomes the “ah”?)

Where/when does an inhale turn into an exhale, and vice versa? Is there a state of being “between” the inhale and the exhale?

Where/when does the diaphragm engage—where/when does it release and how can we best use the momentum created by that release?

Having to slow down enough to be able find the exact point of departure between an “engage” and a “release” has, for me, been the single most helpful tool I’ve used in improving not only my singing technique—but my level of satisfaction in the sound produced.